On a recent afternoon, I ventured into Botolino Gelato Artiginale on Lowest Greenville. Carlo Gattini’s shop had been open for about four months, and I’d heard good things. It was time to see—or taste, rather—what all the fuss was about.
Right away, the mascarpone and fig label caught my eye. I’m a fan of cheese incorporated into sweet things, so I had high hopes. I wasn’t disappointed. Botolino serves about 14 delightful year-round and seasonal flavors, including white coffee and orange basil, but this is its crowning jewel. Thankfully, it’s one of the year-round options due to its popularity. “Mascarpone gelato is not uncommon in Italy,” Gattini says. “I wanted to pair something with the fig variegate (sauce for gelato), and immediately I thought of ricotta or mascarpone. I went with mascarpone because I thought the American palate would prefer it.” Allow me to break it down. And then go try it for yourself.
The ingredients:
Organic milk, organic cream, mascarpone cheese, figs, sugar, honey, rum, lemon, orange zest.
The sources:
The mascarpone is from the Mozzarella Company in Deep Ellum. The figs are from Italy.
The process:
It takes about 30 hours total to make a batch. Gattini cooks the gelato at a low temperature to enhance the flavors and hydrate the milk protein for a creamier product. Then he ages it for 12 hours. Churning only takes about 10 minutes, but Gattini freezes the gelato to -10 degrees, which takes a few hours. The gelato then needs a few more hours to come back up to serving temperature.
The containers:
Because he doesn’t use any artificial ingredients or preservatives, Gattini has to keep the delicate gelato away from light, air, and temperature variations by using traditional covered Italian Pozzetti cases. You can’t see the gelato options unless you taste them, but the high-quality product is worth it.
